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J. L. HASTINGS.

Cotton Harvester.

No. 243,130. Patente'd June 21,1881.

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J. L. HASTINGS.

Cotton Harvester. Y No. 243,130. Patented June 21,1881.

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Cotton Harvester. No. 243,130. Patented June 21,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. HASTINGS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO BERN- HARDWELKER, CONRAD REITER,'BERNHARD KRUGH, HUGH LAFFERTY, AND WILLIAM B.HOLLIS, IN TRUST FOR. HASTINGS COTTON PICKER MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

COTTON-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,130, dated June 21,1881.

Application filed June 27, 1878. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES LANCE HAST- INGS, of New Orleans, in theparish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Cotton-Harvesters, which improvement is fully set forthin the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to machines for pickin g cotton from the plants andit consists, first, in rods for carrying the pickers into and out of theplants, arranged in pairs, each one of a pair being supported by andpivoted to two revolving plates; secondly, in arms ex- 1 5 tending fromsaid rods to keep them in the desired relation to the revolving plates;thirdly, in the manner of connecting the pickers to and operating themby said plates and rods; fourthly, inthe construction ofand mechanismfor operatingapicker,wherebyfingers or spurs may be thrust outward fromthe body of the picker, and points or hooks may be thrust outward fromthe fingers or spurs while the picker is in the plant; fifthly, in thearrangement of 2 5 cleaning-belts with reference to the pickers and bodyof the machine; sixthly, in the arrangement of gears and shafts wherebythe revolving plates are driven.

In the drawings, Figure lis a sideelevation 0 of a cotton-harvesterembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of parts below the 7 line1 1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite side from thatshownin Fig. 1. Fig; 4 is an elevation of the rear end of the machine. 35 Fig. 5 is a plan view of a pair of pickers and the parts connectingthem with the pickerrods, drawn larger and more in detail than in theprevious figures, one of the pickers being turned quarter-way aroundfrom the position 0 of the other, and a part of the pickers being brokenaway, the full form of the same being shown by dotted lines. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal section of one of the pickers taken on line 2 2 in Fig. 5,having the fingers orspurs thrust 4 5 part way out. Fig. 7 isatransverse section of a picker, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 6, and Fig. 8is'a transverse section of a picker, taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 6.

The longitudinal pieces A and cross-pieces B form the supporting-frameof the machine, which is supported by. the broad-faced rear wheel, C,and the smaller forward guide-wheel, D, the longitudinal pieces A beingformed at the forward end to allow the wheel D to swivel on a pivot ata.

E is the bottom, and F is the top, of the body of the machine, both, asalso the supports G for the top, having the suitable inclinations tohave the picking side of the machine conform to thepyramidal form of theplants, and that the bottom of the machine may best clear theadjacentrow of plants. Two plates, H, are centrally pivoted to revolveon the upper side of the bottom E, and two plates, I, are centrallypivoted to revolve on the under side of 65 the top F. Owing to theinclination of the top, bottom, and sides of the body of the machine theshafts of the upper plates are not in the sainelines with those of thelower plates.

The picker-rods J are pivoted at their lower ends to the plates H and attheir upper ends to the plates I, being pivoted rather than fixed to theplates, that the picker-rods maybe carried each one about the onecentral line. Arms b extend from the picker-rods, which are 7: alsopivoted to the plates I, and which serve to keep the pickerrods-that is,the bends thereofiu suitable relation to the plates. The picker-rods Jare formed to have as many bends or cranks as are required, in themanner shown.

A horizontal bar, K, connects the two pickerrods, being hinged on thebends or cranks of the rods by means of the boxes 0. 1 connect to thebar K two pickers, as follows: Rods or bars I are fastened to the bar Kat right angles to the same. At the outer ends of the bars at isfastened a frame-piece, L. To the bar K is also fastened one end of asleeve, M. The other end of this sleeve M is connected to a-disk, N, bythe olasps e, fastened to the disk N, having bearings by which they andthe disk may revolve on the sleeve, as shown. Longitudinal pieces orguides f, on either side of a picker, are fastened, each one at one endto a frame-piece, O, and at the other end. to a ring, g. On the guides fslides the frame-piece L, the bars (I sliding in recesses in theframepiece 0. The body of thepicker Pis fitted to revolve at one end inthe ring g and at the other end in the frame-piece O.

A shaft, h, is fastened atone endin the body of a picker, 1?, andextends through the disk N and the sleeve M, being round to both slideand revolve in the sleeve, but squared or given other suitable shape, asfar as the disk N moves, so that the latter may only slide thereon. Onthis shafththereis another disk, i, also fitted to slide only on theshaft h. The body of the picker 1? has a cylindrical or othersuitably-formed opening part way, to allow the disks N and 'i to enterit the necessary distance.

The body 1?, as also the point Q, ofthe picker, has openings through itslength for flexible stems which may be formed ofwire wound spirally, andwhich have openings through theirlength. These stems j are fastened,each one at one end, to the disk t, and have fastened to them, each oneat the other end, a knob or finger, k. In the central openings in thestems j are other smaller flexible stems I, each one of which isfastened at one end to the disk N, and has at the other end points orhooks m, which extend through openings in the fingers 70. These pointsor hooks m are elastic, so that they may be drawn into the fingers 7cand stemsj, but when extended will take the hook form.

The operation of the parts described is as follows: The plates H and Ibeing revolved will give such motion to the picker-rods J and bar K thatthey will thrust the pickers, while near the forward part of themachine, outward from the picking side of the machine, so that thepoints Q will enter the plants. In this movement the frame-piece 0 willbe brought against the inner side of horizontal bars It, fastened on thepicking side of the machine, and between two of which the pickers andadjoining parts are moved. When the points Q of the pickers have enteredthe plant the continued motion of the picker-rods J and bar K willcause, by means of the sleeve M and disk N, the stems Zto be pushedalong the openings in the picker, together with the stems j. The stemsjwill move with the stems l, owing to the friction between them, tillboth in a set are extended the proper distance from the point of thepicker, when, the disk 7; being brought against the solid part of thepicker, the stems Z will be pushed along still farther in the stems j,and will cause the hooks m to be extended beyond the fingers k to graspthe cotton. The pickers and other parts attached to the bar K will thenbe carried along toward the rear of the machine, the frame-piece Omoving along the bars R, too great friction being prevented by rollers non the frame-piece 0. This movement of the pickers toward the rear ofthe machine corresponds in speed, as near as may be, to the forwardmotion of the whole machine, drawn by horse or other motive power, sothat the pickers while in the plant have no considerable amount ofsidewise movement in reference to the plant. After the pickers havepassed the designed distance toward the rear of the machine thecontinued motion of the machine will withdraw first the stemsj and l,and bring the fingers 7c beneath guards z to the point of the pickers Q,then the pickers within the machine gathering and carrying in the cottonwithin reach of the hooks, and thereupon the hooks m within the fingers7c. Before the hooks m are withdrawn Within the fingers k the pickerpoints are withdrawn from the plant and they are over acleanin g-belt,S, so that when the hooks mare drawn in, the cotton will be delivered onthis belt. The furthercontinuation of the revolution of the plates H andI and movement of the picker-rods J will carry the pickers forward inthe machine, 'while the points Q, are over the cleaning-belts, to beagain thrust into the plants, and so on. The cleaning-belt S passesabout two pulleys, o and 1), so as to move un 'der the pickers in nearlya horizontal direc tion. This movement of the cleaning-belt will revolvethe pickers in their hearings in the rings g and frame'piece O tofurther aid in removing the cotton. The cleaning-belt S delivers thecotton to an elevating-belt, T, which carries it up and over, to bedelivered into suitable reeeptacles, this belt passing about pulleys qand r, as shown.

The plates H and I are formed as gears, as shown, or are connected togears, one of the gears, H, engaging with a pinion, s, and one of thegears, I, with a pinion, t. The gears H and I must revolve together andin the same direction, owing to pinions u engaging one with each set, asshown. The pinions s and t are on shafts which are connected by auniversal joint, 11, which is employed, since the pinions s and it donot have their axes in the same straight line.

The shaft of the lower pinion, s, is connected to a shaft by a universaljoint, which has a bevel-gear, w, thereon, which engages with abevel-gear, 00, which is driven, by means of its shaft and bevel-gear x,by a bevel-gear, U, on the same shaft with the rear supporting anddriving wheel 0. Another bevel-gear, to, engages with the gear 10, whichgear 10 is on the sameshaft with the pulley 0, by which means thecleaning-belt S is driven.

The elevating-beltTmay be driven bya band passing from a pulleyconnected with the pulleyp to a pulley connected with the adjacentpulley for the elevating-belt, or by other suitable connection with themoving parts of the machine.

I have shown in the drawings only two-- that is, one set of pickers,bars It, and the adjacent parts, and one cleaning-belt; but any numberof sets of pickers, bars R, and cleaning-belts may be employed, thatmaybe properly arranged on the picking side of the machine to the heightrequired by the height of the plants, there being a sufficient number ofcrank-bends in the picker-rods J, several bends and two bars, K, beingshown in the drawin gs.

It will be seen that a double machine may be made to have two pickingsides, each side being similarly constructed to the one shown anddescribed, to pick the adjacent sides of two rows of plants. 7

It is necessary that whatever enters the plants to harvest the cottonshould not have movements therein to rake, and thus injure or destroythe plants, or portions thereof, and that the picking, while being doneas completely as possible, should also be done delicately. These resultsI am able to accomplish, since I reduce the sidewise movement of thepickers while in the plant to the least possible amount, and by means ofthe flexible stems, which, while reaching the cotton, will not strikethe plants with force to injure them, and by reason of the withdrawingof the fingers before withdrawing the pickers, in the manner described.

To insure the stems j and 1 being withdrawn to the points of the pickersbefore the pickers are withdrawn from the plant, I fasten a projectionor lip, V, to one of the bars R, which holds the frame-piece O to thebars R till the lip V comes opposite the slot W in the framepiece 0,when the frame-piece 0 may be moved from the bars R and the pickers bewithdrawn from the plant. The points Q of the pickers are of such abevel that the sides of them next the cleaning-belt S will be parallelto the belt. That the cleaning-belt S may deliver all the cotton ontothe elevating-belt T a comb and guide, Y, is placed, as shown, betweenthem, to gather the cotton from the belt S and guide it onto the belt T,both belts having points or hooks thereon, as shown.

.The picker-rods are best formed so that the crank-bends will alternateone with another on the same rod, as shown, so that two different setsof adjacent pickers will alternate in entering the plants.

Many details in this machine may be changed or modified in variousrespects without alter ing the essential principles or working of myinvention.

I do not herein claim matter shown and described, but not claimed inthis case, which has been shown,described, and claimed in previousapplications filed by me May 28, 1878, and June 14, 1878; but

I now claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the plates H, platesI, and picker-rods J, having the arms 1), substantially as hereinbeforedescribed. I

2. The combination of the inclined plates H, inclined plates 1,picker-rods J, having the crank-bends, and bar K, substantially ashereinbefore described.

3. The combination .of the bars R, pickerrods J, bar K, frame-piece 0,bars d, and framepiece L, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination of the bars R, pickers P Q, frame-piece 0, guides f,and ring g, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination of the bars R, bar K, sleeve M, disk N, shaft h, andpickers P Q, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

6. In a cotton-harvester, a picker adapted to be thrust into the plant,and having fingers adapted to be thrust outward from the picker, withwhich fingers are points arranged to be projected outward therefrom forgrasping the cotton, substantially as hereinbefore set forth. 7. The jcombination of the picker-rods J, frame-piece 0, bars R, and pickers PQ, substantially as hereinbefore described.

8. The combination of the bodyP and point Q of the picker, and stems l,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

9. The combination of the body P and point Q of the picker, stems l,stemsj, fingers k, and points or hooks m, substantially as hereinbeforedescribed.

10. The combination of the body P and point Q of the picker, stems l,and flexible hooks m, substantially as hereinbefore described.

11. The combination of the body P and point Q of the picker, stems l,stems j, disks N and i, and shaft h, substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

12. The combination of the cleaning-belt S and pickersP Q, having thefingers 7c and hooks m to be extended and withdrawn, when arranged andoperated in reference to each other substantially as and for the purposehereinbefore set forth.

13. In a cotton-harvester, the combination of the inclined plates andgears H and I, pinions 8 and t, and their shafts connected by theuniversal joint 1;, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

14. In a cotton-harvester, the combination of the cleaning-belt S andelevating-belt T, when located and operated with reference to each otherand to the pickers, having the fingers 7c and hooks m, to be extendedand withdrawn substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

15. The frame-piece 0, having the slot W,

in combination with the barR and the projection or lip V, substantiallyas and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth. 16. The combination ofthe cleaning-belt S, comb and guide Y, and elevating-belt T with thepickers, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

JAMES LANCE HASTINGS.

Witnesses:

EDW. DUMMER, H. W. BRIcHER.

